Save Scientology Bloghttp://blog.savescientology.com
LRH Intent for the Governance of ScientologyTue, 13 Oct 2015 14:04:05 +0000en-US
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.1Introducing Religious Liberty Leaguehttp://blog.savescientology.com/introducing-religious-liberty-league/
http://blog.savescientology.com/introducing-religious-liberty-league/#commentsTue, 13 Oct 2015 14:04:05 +0000http://blog.savescientology.com/?p=1576Continue reading →]]>Religious Liberty League is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. It’s original purpose was to fund the activities SaveScientology.com. That purpose was later expanded to engage in its own activities and have its own identity and presence on the Internet.

SaveScientology.com will remain in place as a source of information regarding LRH Intent for the governance of Scientology organizations. It will no longer publish articles

on this blog or engage in action plans to bring the churches of Scientology into alignment with the religion of Scientology, however.

Please visit Religious Liberty League’s new website, bookmark it and sign up for its newsletter. Join its Facebook page, too.

We have some exciting plans and information you won’t want to miss if you have any interest in salvaging the materials and religion of Scientology!

We welcome your support!

We apologize to our readers for our long-term (public) inactivity.

It became apparent to us more than two years ago that we would not be effective unless the individuals behind this site went public. As you will see on this site’s About Us page, we began this venture anonymously.

The road to write and publish the book, Arrows in the Dark, which is your administrator’s story, took longer than expected. It also took a few side turns. The book reveals, among other things, the efforts of three long-term Scientologist lawyers to obtain reform internally through letters written to appropriate church terminals and lawyers.

Only when it became clear that the situation we tried to address could not be handled internally did we take our information public with the creation of SaveScientology.com.

As we mentioned in our most recent article, Jim Jackson, whose letterhead the letters were printed on, recently released them as part of his interview with the Tampa Bay Times. They can be viewed here.

]]>http://blog.savescientology.com/introducing-religious-liberty-league/feed/4Reform Letters Go Publichttp://blog.savescientology.com/reform-letters-go-public/
http://blog.savescientology.com/reform-letters-go-public/#commentsSun, 13 Sep 2015 16:00:53 +0000http://blog.savescientology.com/?p=1567Continue reading →]]>More than five years ago, the genesis for this website began when three long-term, Scientologist lawyers confabbed in an attempt to calm the media onslaught against the church brought on by the publication of Truth Rundown.

One of the three was Jim Jackson (pictured).

Obviously, we agreed, the allegations being slung against David Miscavige by former high-ranking Sea Org members and international executives needed to be investigated. The wrong solution was to attack the whistleblowers – their rightful label, not liars and criminals as they were being called by Church officials.

We found support in Scientology policy, too. Committees of Evidence. So we decided to write a letter to top Scientology officials and church lawyers. Jackson bravely volunteered his letterhead and signature.

The only problem with our approach, we later discovered, was that the convening authority for worldwide matters, the Executive Director International, Guillaume Lesevre, had allegedly been taken off post and banished to a prison-like facility at the International Base near Hemet, California by David Miscavige.

If true, it meant that Miscavige was beyond the reach of Scientology ethics and justice codes and had no ecclesiastical oversight.

Next question: What about secular law? Boards of directors of nonprofit religious corporations were (and are) required by law to exert ultimate oversight over corporate affairs.

This led to a research project into the corporate governing structure of Scientology, and to more letters. Six in total.

The letters were ignored. We then published the findings of our research project on this website.

]]>http://blog.savescientology.com/reform-letters-go-public/feed/4HBO’s Going Clear: A Missed Opportunityhttp://blog.savescientology.com/movie-review-hbos-going-clear/
http://blog.savescientology.com/movie-review-hbos-going-clear/#commentsTue, 24 Mar 2015 17:29:22 +0000http://blog.savescientology.com/?p=1542Continue reading →]]>First, a disclaimer. I’m biased; I’m an Alex Gibney fan. I’ve seen many of his documentaries and found them to be informative and artfully constructed. I’m also knowledgeable about the subject matter of Going Clear, and am the author of the recently published Arrows in the Dark, an insider’s view of the Scientology organization.[1]

Based on my personal investigation and almost 4o years as a member of Scientology – I was summarily excommunicated in 2012 for seeking internal reforms – 80% of the facts presented in the film are true. Scientology watchers have heard them all before, but for persons who haven’t, Gibney skillfully and convincingly reveals the violence, mental abuse, and downright tyrannical control over senior managers, staff and parishioners by the self-anointed “Pope” of Scientology, David Miscavige. Gibney also does an excellent job showing the special treatment afforded stars like John Travolta and especially Tom Cruise whose exceptionally close relationship with Miscavige is expertly captured.

The problem with the film is the other 20%. Here, Gibney goes beyond demonstrable abuse of power charges and instead delves into subjective issues of the religion, a subject he clearly does not agree with, or even understand. The result is an appeal to prejudice, an invitation to hate or think less of Scientologists. This impairs and threatens their fundamental right to freely practice the religion of their choice.

Gibney takes a swipe at Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, portraying him as a science fiction writer, the clear implication being that any religion Hubbard created must be equally fictitious. Lawrence Wright, on whose book Going Clear is based, is used to falsely label one of Scientology’s advanced counseling levels (OT III) as its “creation myth.” In truth, Scientology’s actual creation theory is laid out in “The Factors,” which can be found in Hubbard’s Scientology 8-8008, as well as in many of his others books and lectures. These materials are publicly available to one and all.

Meanwhile, in a display of intellectual dishonesty, Going Clear tells viewers that the church declined to be interviewed without also revealing that Scientologists who understand and support the tenets of the religion – but who disagree with the abusive and controlling policies and practices of church leader David Miscavige – were available. Not one of these pro-Scientology voices was selected for the film.

Because Gibney is dealing with spirituality, which is entirely subjective, he’s on thin ice judging its validity, one way or the other. Contrary to the opinions of the subjects interviewed in the film, there have been, over the years, hundreds of thousands of people who feel that Scientology has helped them lead happier, more productive lives. Going Clear’s public denunciation of the religious views of Scientologists violates the fundamental principles of respect, inclusion and acceptance that most Americans honor, thus creating a socially dangerous atmosphere of us vs. them.

Gibney’s failure to differentiate between the theology of Scientology – which anyone is free to accept or reject – and claims of internal abuses and corruption leads him to naively call for Tom Cruise and John Travolta to leave Scientology. Cruise and Travolta are not likely to “leave” a religion, the practice of which they both have publicly stated over and over again has benefited them. Nor should anyone try to shame them into doing so.

What can be reasonably expected, however, is that they heed the abuse allegations and look into them. Some are easy to spot; for example the church’s policy of disconnection and the oppression it causes families. It is hoped that Travolta and Cruise will use their influence to fix what they find broken.

Gibney’s trespass into the theology of Scientology leads him to decree that it is not a real religion. Therefore, he urges the IRS to revoke the church’s tax-exempt status. In truth, American courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have delved into Scientology’s religiosity in detail, examining evidence from both proponents and critics alike, as well as the opinions of religious experts. Their conclusion: Scientology is indeed a religion.

Even Lawrence Wright, the author of the book on which this documentary is based, stated in promotional interviews: “The problem [with the Church of Scientology] is a lack of checks and balances.”

I agree. The problem has nothing to do with the religious tenets of Scientology. The problem is church leader David Miscavige’s one-man rule over all Scientology organizations. The bylaws of Scientology’s governing corporations, the drafting of which Hubbard ordered and oversaw prior to his death, call for seven boards of trustees and directors spread among three entities. This is laid out in detail on this website.

Instead of asking for revocation of tax-exempt status, why not ask the IRS to use its power to impose intermediate sanctions and require the governing corporations to implement the checks and balances called for in the bylaws submitted to the IRS in support of their application for tax exemption? Rather than ask Cruise and Travolta to leave and speak out against Scientology, why not ask them to urge David Miscavige to comply with state law, church corporate bylaws, and the written instructions contained in the estate plan of L. Ron Hubbard? Institute checks and balances, cooperate with an independent, internal investigation into the abuse charges, and abolish controlling policies, such as disconnection.

Reform is achievable. Attacking the religion itself makes the task more difficult. It will cause members of the church to avoid the film, rally around their leader, dig deeper into their pockets for donations, and heed his cries: “See. The evil media are at it again, trying to destroy Scientology.”

Going Clear alienates the very people most capable of causing reform, Miscavige’s pillars of support: the famous, wealthy and influential church members who might have been reached had the documentary stuck to objective and provable facts, such as crimes and abuses of power under the current church regime. And the majority of viewers – most of whom are, of course, non-Scientologists – end up walking away after two hours of viewing, still unable to answer the most important question of all: What is Scientology, and what do people find attractive about it?

]]>http://blog.savescientology.com/movie-review-hbos-going-clear/feed/24The Creator of Save Scientology Is …http://blog.savescientology.com/the-creator-of-save-scientology-is/
http://blog.savescientology.com/the-creator-of-save-scientology-is/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 12:48:49 +0000http://blog.savescientology.com/?p=1486Continue reading →]]>Merrell Vannier reveals his role as the creator and writer of this website in his newly published book, Arrows in the Dark.

This event marks a turning point in the history of this site and its mission to reform the church and save it from self-destruction.

In his book, Merrell describes his personal journey in Scientology, from his introduction to the subject in the fall of 1972 to his current reform activities.

In between, he trained to become a professional auditor at the St. Louis church, became a volunteer for the intelligence bureau of the Guardian’s Office, practiced law, and later joined the U.S.G.O. staff in Los Angeles.

He was present when the G.O. was taken over by the Sea Org. In fact, he was asked by Mary Sue Hubbard to witness the confrontation between Bill Franks and Jane Kember, which took place in Mary Sue’s office. After the takeover, he was assigned to the Mission All Clear Unit, an autonomous entity that was responsible for overseeing all legal actions involving LRH.

ATTACKING CRITICS & WHISTLEBLOWERSIS NOT THE SOLUTION

In recent years, Merrell teamed with two other long-standing, dedicated Scientologist lawyers to write letters to church lawyers and officials asking them to:

●Implement the corporate checks and balances LRH outlined in his estate plan;

●Conduct internal investigations, independent of David Miscavige and those under his control and direction;

●Refrain from attacking former high-ranking Sea Org members who have gone public with allegations of wrongdoing; and

This website was created after more than sixty knowledge reports, letters, and other attempts to obtain reform on church lines proved futile.

THE PROBLEM IS INTERNAL

We see two major WHYs accounting for the increasing loss of church membership and negative media. They are related. The first is the lack of checks and balances as called for by LRH in his estate plan. This has led to dictatorial rule and abuse of staff and church members. The second is out-tech. (For specifics, please see: http://friendsoflrh.org)

Church policy clearly assigns responsibility for any and all down statistics to church executives, not to external forces. Here are just a few LRH policy references which cover this point, courtesy of the Friends of LRH website:

“I’ve learned this over the years: The entirety of our stats are internally caused.

“WE CAN CAUSE STATS AT WILL. External actions don’t affect them.

“A newspaper can write reams of entheta and it doesn’t affect our stats at all.”

In the days and weeks ahead we will roll out our plans for rallying Scientologists, OSA staff members, and the trustees and directors on the boards of the governing corporations (CST, RTC and CSI), and their lawyers, to wear their hats, bypass David Miscavige, and cause the necessary reform to not only survive the current media onslaught but to turn it to our advantage.

Another story about disconnection is making national news. Long-time Scientologist and OT VIII Sara (Lister) Goldberg was declared to be a suppressive person (“declared”) for refusing to disconnect from her son who had been declared for going on the Internet and connecting with former Church members who are critical of Church management. Sara’s daughter, a Scientologist and mother of a child, then disconnected from her mother and brother.

Once again, the Church denied publicly that the policy exists, falsely claiming that the policy is voluntary, the choice of its members.

All Scientologists know the truth.

There are serious consequences for members who do not disconnect from persons who have been declared: those members can be declared themselves, just as Sara was declared for her refusal to disconnect from her declared son.

So the decision to disconnect is voluntary only in the sense that a person voluntarily decides to turn over his wallet to a man who holds a gun to his head.

In lying about the policy of forced disconnection, the Church further individuates from a society it wishes to enter and become an integral part of. Members who forward or defend the Church’s position are “put on a withhold” from their friends, families, and acquaintances; and they, too, withdraw and individuate.

Scientologists who have been trained in Scientology’s basic principles know this mechanism. Those who have received auditing (i.e., Scientology counseling) based on this technical subject have personal awareness of it.

Besides, PR Series 2 requires the Church to “NEVER USE LIES IN PR” because “[a]ll lies will dead end some day.”

That day has come. Sara Goldberg is just one of many who have recently gone to the media with her tale of family oppression wreaked by the policy of forced disconnection.

Disconnection Was The Wrong Action

The basic principle is not disconnection, but rather “handle or disconnect.” LRH cancelled the condition of disconnection [in 1968 – read here and listen here] because it had been abused by persons who failed to handle situations which could have been handled, either due to laziness or irresponsibility, “thereby creating situations even worse than the original ones because it was the wrong action.”[1]

Disconnection was the wrong action for both Sara’s son, Nick Lister, and for her.Neither of them were “antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets.” The actual policy calls for a person to handle “the other person’s antagonism” or, “when all attempts to handle have failed,” to then and only then disconnect.[2]

The Church could have “handled” Sara by simply allowing her to maintain a connection to her son. Sara could have “handled” her son merely by obtaining his agreement to keep his opinions to himself when in her presence.

Delving deeper into the situation, the Church could have handled Nick by addressing his concerns about the allegations of former high-ranking Sea Org members.

The disconnections ordered in Sara’s case created “situations even worse than the original.” At first Sara ordered her son out of the house, which resulted in him threatening to take his own life. Sara wisely reconsidered and averted a tragedy. After Sara was declared for not disconnecting she went on the Internet herself, was appalled at what she saw, and then went to the media with her story.

All this because the Church irresponsibly failed to properly “handle” accusations of internal wrongdoing by former high-ranking Sea Org members.

And this gets to the root of the problem we discuss on this website. The Church needs to conduct internal investigations independent of David Miscavige, the person accused of wrongdoing. As we point out, Miscavige has usurped all the checks and balances intended by LRH, including, but not limited to: (1) the jurisdiction of ED International as the convening authority for all worldwide matters – which includes Miscavige and staff of RTC, and (2) the independence of the trustees and general directors of CST to whom LRH entrusted the power to investigate or eliminate RTC if it abused its power. Therefore, it is first necessary for those terminals, and others, to put their hats on and fulfill their duties.

Attacking and declaring members and former members who speak out against internal corruption is a wrong action. The practice has created a situation far worse than the original. The correct actions are to implement LRH checks and balances, cancel again the policy of disconnection, investigate the accusations of internal corruption and abuses, and then handle what is found.

Honesty and transparency will win out, not secret policies and practices, lies, and attacks on Scientologists who seek to stamp out internal corruption.

_______________________________________

[1] L. Ron Hubbard, Introduction to Scientology Ethics, p. 206-207

[2] Ibid.

]]>http://blog.savescientology.com/the-blowback-of-disconnection-used-wrongly/feed/13A Fine Messhttp://blog.savescientology.com/a-fine-mess/
http://blog.savescientology.com/a-fine-mess/#commentsMon, 16 Sep 2013 02:25:33 +0000http://blog.savescientology.com/?p=1405Continue reading →]]>WHAT LRH ORDERED: In the early 1980s, prior to his departure, L. Ron Hubbard re-organized the corporate structure of Scientology and ordered the new structure to be implemented. The newly-created governing bodies of Scientology became three California nonprofit religious corporations (i.e, CST, RTC & CSI) with seven separate boards of trustees, general directors and, for CST only, a third board of special directors. See: LRH Intent.

WHAT WAS DONE: The corporate structure has been followed in form only, never in substance. In reality, all the boards of general directors and trustees corporate boards are captive and under the control of one man: David Miscavige. That all organizations and aspects of Scientology is subject to one-man rule by Miscavige is one of those facts universally known to all Scientologists, but which, as with the policy of disconnection, the Church publicly denies.

As stated in PR Series No. 2, one should “NEVER USE LIES IN PR… All lies will dead end some day.”

These lies appear destined to dead end in a Texas courtroom. There, the corporate veils of the governing bodies of Scientology are being lifted to expose David Miscavige to personal liability for the alleged harmful actions done under his one-man rule.

It is a fine mess Miscavige finds himself in; one that he created and could have avoided; and one that still has a solution.

The Texas Legal Case

In a nutshell, Monique Rathbun, the wife of Marty Rathbun sued the three governing church corporations (CSI, RTC and CST) as well as David Miscavige, personally, and a few other individuals, claiming that she was harassed, put under constant surveillance, falsely accused of really being a man who had a sex change, and embarrassed at work (a dildo mailed to her, and flowers sent to a female co-worker in Monique’s name).

A Texas court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against all defendants, and set the case for hearing on a preliminary injunction. A TRO, as the name implies, is temporary. It lasts only until an evidentiary hearing can determine whether the order should be extended until a full trial of the case can be held to determine whether a permanent injunction should be issued.

The hearing on preliminary injunction was set for Thursday and Friday, September 12th and 13th. Two other matters were squeezed onto the hearing calendar.

One, defendants David Miscavige and RTC made a “special appearance” through a motion contesting the court’s jurisdiction over them. And two, the Church (CSI), which had accepted jurisdiction in Texas, sought to to disqualify Monique’s lawyers on the grounds that they had been tainted by receipt of privileged information from Marty, a witness in the case.

The judge heard partial argument and testimony on all three matters, but resolved none of them due to a lack of time, and continued the hearing until October 18, 2013.

However, based on the Judge’s comments during arguments, and his order that both RTC and CSI make corporate representatives available for deposition in the meantime, Miscavige and his legal case, are in big trouble.

Piercing the Scientology Corporate Veils

Counsel for Miscavige and RTC claimed, essentially, that they were not connected to the alleged wrongdoing, that any harm later proven to have occurred to Monique was the responsibility of CSI, not RTC or Miscavige. That position was severely undermined, however, by Marty Rathbun’s affidavit on the inner workings of RTC. Marty details, for example, how Miscavige micro-managed OSA (Office of Special Affairs) by using Marty as secret go-between Miscavige and Mike Rinder, the head of OSA International. This is highly improper because OSA Int is a department (Dept. 20, Div 7) of CSI, a separate corporation from RTC.

The legal significance of this aspect of Monique’s case is huge. All Scientologists should take careful note of it in order to appreciate what is at stake. Certainly, all future litigants against the Church will.

First, a little legal primer. There are two major benefits afforded nonprofit corporations: (1) tax exempt status and (2) protection from personal liability of its officers, directors, and members. In order to qualify for these benefits, corporate formalities, including independent boards of directors, must be followed.

Therefore, if Monique Rathbun can substantiate Marty’s testimony, she can “pierce the corporate veils” and expose David Miscavige, and potentially other directors and officers, to personal liability. A court ruling, and/or the evidence upon which it is based, could also form the basis of a revocation of tax exempt status action.

(In 1967, the IRS revoked tax exempt status for the California Church of Scientology due to lack of corporate board oversight. The California C of S was the-then “mother church” of Scientology and predecessor to CSI, the current “mother church.” The 1967 revocation of tax exempt status led to the “war” with the IRS and the corporate re-structure to remedy that loss of tax exempt status. Regaining tax exempt status was the primary purpose of the re-organization and was such a high priority to LRH that he created a board of special directors in CST who had the sole duty to not only obtain tax exempt status, but to maintain it.)

Therefore, Miscavige, by his failure to carry out LRH Intent to end one-man rule upon his death and govern Scientology through multiple checks and balances among seven (7) boards of trustees and directors in three (3) separate nonprofit religious corporations, and by his refusal to put the interests of Scientology above his own personal interests, has put at risk Scientology’s tax exempt status [fn. 1] in addition to creating the legal and PR quagmire in which Scientology finds itself engulfed, and into which it is sinking ever deeper over the last four years. Attacking whistleblowers never works, as we have previously written; only internal, independent investigations solve the problem of alleged corporate corruption.

Protecting Orthodoxy

On day one of the hearing, CSI’s attorney admitted that the Church surveilled the Rathbuns because they were challenging Scientology’s orthodoxy, by which he meant that Marty was violating the trademarks of Scientology by practicing the religion outside the Church.

A person trained in Scientology “grades” technology (i.e., a Class IV auditor or above) will recognize this statement to be a justification for wrongdoing. In an auditing session, the next question from the auditor would be, “How else did you justify that overt?”

A person trained in the law will recognize the Church’s actions to be vigilantism, or taking the law into one’s own hands in bypass of the legal system in an attempt to effect justice according to one’s own consideration of right and wrong.

For, if it is true that Marty violated Scientology’s trademarks, there is a legal remedy: a lawsuit for trademark violation under the Lanham Act (also known as the Trademark Act).

LRH gave to RTC the Scientology trademarks and the express duty to protect them. David Miscavige is the head of RTC. So why was this simple – and lawful – solution not taken?
Why did (allegedly) David Miscavige resort to sending a dildo in the mail to Monique’s place of employment and engage in other distasteful and legally actionable conduct, instead?

Under the Lanham Act, RTC had three years to file a lawsuit against Marty Rathbun and any other Scientologist who was violating Scientology’s “orthodoxy.” Because Marty set up shop in June 2009, the statute of limitations has expired. RTC is now forever barred from bringing a trademark suit. Arguably, the trademarks of Scientology have become part of the public domain, meaning that Miscavige may have lost the trademarks of Scientology rather than protect them, as he was charged to do.

(By the way, the other rights given to RTC by LRH were Scientology’s trade secrets, in other words, the Upper Levels. In 1983 these were stolen from the Advanced Organization and Saint Hill Organization combined for Europe and Africa (AOSHEU&AF) by a group of former Sea Org members, and the materials were subsequently leaked on the Internet. RTC lost these trade secrets; they are part of the public domain. This means that RTC completely failed its mission and has no purpose for it continued existence. For those Scientologists who still measure a staff member’s value based on production and results, rather than on PR or personality, this colossal failure should be telling.)

The answers to the questions raised above are obvious. First, RTC could not win a trademark violation suit. A person (or organization) suing for trademark violation must come into court with clean hands. Proof of wrongdoing on the part of the plaintiff is a complete defense. And Marty Rathbun, and other former high-ranking Sea Org members at Int Base, claimed that they were only practicing Scientology outside the Church because Miscavige had made life unbearable inside the Church for them: he created a culture of violence and personally beat staff in addition to inflicting them with other cruel and inhumane treatment that no person, even a Sea Org member, should have to endure. See, e.g.: Truth Rundown & Debbie Cook Testimony.

We are mindful that these are allegations, and that the Church has strongly refuted them. But, three points: (1) avoidance of a lawful solution is, like the flight of a criminal, evidence of guilt, and (2) this is not how one handles allegations of corporate corruption, as we have written on this blog: one investigates the claims of whistleblowers; one does not attack the whistleblowers; see point (1); and (3) allegations versus counter allegations do not resolve; like a problem of intention versus counter intention, they persist.

The second answer to the questions raised above is also obvious. Miscavige placed his personal interests – his position as supreme ruler of Scientology – over those of RTC, the aims of Scientology, and the wishes of LRH.

Solution

Here is the solution:

1. Implement the corporate checks and balances as previously established by LRH; that is, empower the boards of trustees and directors;

2. Miscavige step aside pending internal investigations conducted by the boards in conjunction with reputable audit firms and independent of David Miscavige and any subordinates who are implicated in the allegations made by former, long-term senior Sea Org executives;

(p>3. Make public the findings and all corrective actions taken to ensure that any wrongdoing does not recur.

4. Abolish the policies of disconnection, fair game and security checks by reissue of the Reform Code of Scientology. Hear Ron define it in RJ ‘68: Click here; See also: “Reform Code of Scientology” in the Modern Management Technology Defined, First Ed., p. 440.

The first step will bring Scientology into compliance with California law for nonprofit religious corporations and IRS rules and regulations on tax exempt status. Until this step is taken, tax exempt status is at risk. Probably the only reason that the IRS has not yet commenced a revocation hearing is due to a moratorium on revocation hearings pending the appointment of a high enough official within the IRS to authorize such proceedings.

The second and third steps are part of what is often referred to as the American Corporate Protocol for handing allegations of corporate corruption. The protocol evolved through the failure of attacks against whistleblowers and the success of internal investigation, independently conducted (so as to give the investigations and their findings credibility).

In 1968, LRH canceled the polices set forth in step 4 in response to broad public surveys which revealed the general public hated them. As practiced by the Miscavige Administration, these toxic policies are used as control mechanisms that the general public identify with cults. So, naturally, use of the policies define us to be a cult, which damages our communication line to the general public and impedes the aims of Scientology.

Board members of CSI, RTC, and CST (in particular), are requested to consider their actions, and failures to act, in light of their legal and Scientological responsibilities. They can, and we believe, they should, take action. They can contact us. We have specialized law firms on retainer and the resources to help you carry out your duties to solve the situation. We will treat your communications in absolute confidence.

Failure to Solve

The future is easy to predict if the situation is not solved. Just review the events since June 2009. Ever-increasing negative publicity, ever-decreasing public credibility. Ever-increasing independent field, ever-decreasing membership. Media are more emboldened to criticize the Church. Publishers have identified a market for books on Scientology. Filmmakers, too. Lawyers have fine-tuned law suits to pierce Scientology’s corporate veils; a formula for success has been developed; there will be more. One can foresee major legal actions attacking Miscavige and his control mechanisms. The IRS will seek revocation of tax exempt status. All this looms on the horizon.

All this can be reversed. This is good news – for every Scientologist not named David Miscavige or a facilitator therefor.

Footnotes:

1. Tax-exempt status was granted based upon representations made to the IRS that we were in compliance with with the corporate reorganization ordered by LRH. Failure to implement the multiple checks and balances of the three governing corporations of Scientology means that the Miscavige Administration has breached the terms of the 1993 Closing Agreement with the IRS that, after so many years of expensive litigation, resulted in tax exempt status.

]]>http://blog.savescientology.com/a-fine-mess/feed/48Penn State Got It Right; Why Can’t We?http://blog.savescientology.com/penn-state-got-it-right-why-cant-we/
http://blog.savescientology.com/penn-state-got-it-right-why-cant-we/#commentsMon, 23 Jul 2012 16:01:23 +0000http://blog.savescientology.com/?p=1351Continue reading →]]>Fellow Scientologists. Have you been on the Internet lately? Turned on the TV? Listened to talk radio? Read the newspapers? Talked candidly to a non-Scientologist?

If so, then you know that the already-bad PR on Scientology has worsened, and that the Church’s continued response is one of categorical denial, labeling its critics as liars and apostates.

Same strategy. Same result. More defections. More corroboration of the original charges:

●A declared mother prevented from viewing her son’s dead body or attending a memorial service; and so on.

There is a solution. Penn State got it right. Why can’t we?

Basic Problem – LRH Checks & Balances Eliminated

LRH intended one-man rule to end upon his death, to be replaced by multiple checks and balances. Power was distributed among seven (7) boards of directors and trustees in three (3) California nonprofit religious corporations, CST, RTC and CSI. See LRH Intent.

These corporate checks and balances have been eliminated.

See Existing Scene. Miscavige, from his position as Chairman of the Board (COB) RTC runs everything. Not just RTC, which LRH intended to be overseen by a board of trustees appointed for life, but CST and CSI as well. Everything.

The result is absolute power in one person. David Miscavige has no oversight or accountability.

Thus, some Scientologists have boldly taken it upon themselves to provide accountability through public channels. They do not consider themselves to be liars and apostates; they feel they are doing what is necessary to handle the situation.

Attacking them hasn’t worked. Nor will it ever. There is only one solution.

Solution: Independent Internal Investigations

What is needed are independent, internal investigations. David Miscavige needs to step aside for the good of Scientology and allow this to occur. In a prior article, we referred to this action as the Corporate America Protocol for handling situations like this.

For a live example on how to do this right, refer to the Penn State University child sex scandal. One of America’s most storied football programs was engulfed in a maelstrom of negative publicity, a grand jury and criminal charges of top officials.

The University trustees hired former FBI director Louis Freeh and his risk management firm to conduct a thorough internal investigation and make the results public. Freeh didn’t hold back. He named names, and gave details. And he recommended fixes to ensure the situation never happens again. Some of the administrators he called out, including the University’s hallowed football coach, the late Joe Paterno, are now reviled by the general public, their reputations ruined.

But the University has now separated itself from the scandal, taken responsibility for the lack of oversight, and been given a chance to live on. It will resurrect its image if it implements the Freeh recommendations, as they have stated publicly they will do. Already they have averted a lifetime ban of the football program.

The problem we Scientologists face is that there are no independent trustees and directors of Scientology. LRH established them. The IRS granted tax exempt status based on them. But Miscavige eliminated them.

For the good of Scientology – and possibly its survival, the independent powers of the boards of trustees and directors of the controlling corporations of Scientology need to be implemented as LRH intended. Once their independence and powers are established, they need to commission an outside reputable audit or law firm to thoroughly investigate the allegations, publicly issue findings and recommendations, and then implement the changes necessary to bring closure to the allegations.

For the Greater Good, Miscavige Must Step Down Pending Internal Investigations.

That Miscavige won’t do this speaks volumes about: 1) his character; 2) his loyalty to LRH and the aims of Scientology; and 3) his guilt or innocence to the charges being leveled against him by former high-ranking Sea Org members and International Executives.

Additionally, the policy of disconnection must end once and for all. The policy is abhorrent to a society we seek to reach into. Combined with the practices of security checking and fair game against criticism of any kind (even constructive), they create a coercive environment that the general public will not tolerate. LRH discovered this in 1968 and canceled them for that reason. See RJ ‘68 and this article.

We often receive feedback from members who extol the greatness of David Miscavige. He got us tax exempt status, etc., etc.

And Joe Paterno took Penn State University from a small backwoods college and made it into a national football powerhouse. His defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, built a defense that produced so many great NFL linebackers that Penn State became known as “Linebacker U.”

Sandusky is now behind bars. Joe Paterno’s legacy as a hall of fame football coach is now overshadowed by his “integral part of the act to conceal” sexual abuse of disadvantaged boys. His statue outside Beaver Stadium has been taken down.

When the trustees of Penn State finally “grew a pair” and stood up to Paterno by firing him last winter, his loyal supporters rioted on campus – before even knowing the facts. Their loyalty for one man blinded their judgment of what was in the best interests of the institution.

We Each Have a Responsibility to Keep Scientology Working

The point is that we should not – and, for the sake of the survival of Scientology, we must not – ignore charges of abuse, corruption, and possible criminal acts by Miscavige just because of what some consider to be his prior accomplishments – nor out of fear of personal consequences.

We must act in the best interests of Scientology. Clearly, Church leadership isn’t.

Scientology’s fate, its reputation, its expansion or demise is OUR responsibility, not Miscavige’s alone. Take responsibility. Get informed. Look. Dare to speak to your friends. Do something.

“In actual fact, I rather hold the person who is inactivebecause he is afraid of punishment, in contempt.”

]]>http://blog.savescientology.com/penn-state-got-it-right-why-cant-we/feed/10Scientology In Crisishttp://blog.savescientology.com/scientology-in-crisis/
http://blog.savescientology.com/scientology-in-crisis/#commentsWed, 07 Mar 2012 20:39:41 +0000http://blog.savescientology.com/?p=1330Continue reading →]]>“These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

This is the famous opening line from the first pamphlet of a series entitled The American Crisis published from 1776 to 1783 during the American Revolution by Thomas Paine. Today, Scientology is in crisis.

An ever-growing chorus from long time former Sea Org members and upper level executives allege that David Miscavige has eliminated checks and balances called for by its Founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and has beaten international executives and subjected them to inhumane treatment. Media and governmental bodies are rightfully taking up the stories.

An independent internal investigation, which we have called for repeatedly, would immediately resolve these very serious and damaging charges. Rather than confront the accusations, however, the Miscavige administration continues to attack and label the whistleblowers “liars,” “defrocked apostates,” “suppressive persons,” and other derogatory terms, thereby holding the allegations in suspension and further dividing the Scientology community in addition to harming our message to the world and distancing us from the general public.

Obviously the administration is not handling the situation. Far from it, these actions tend to prove that Miscavige is guilty of the abuses he is charged with and that he operates unchecked.

Descent Into Madness

The Debbie Cook debacle was a self-inflicted wound to Scientology and the church by the Miscavige administration, entirely avoidable.

For those who missed the news, Debbie Cook sent an email to fellow Scientologists on New Year’s Day, pointing out LRH policy violations and the elimination of checks and balances at the top of Scientology international management by David Miscavige. To read the email, Click Here.

Debbie, of course, was the Captain and face of the Flag Service Organization (FSO) for 17 years, a Sea Org member at Flag for 29. She was widely known, loved and respected in the Scientology community. She left the Sea Org for medical reasons in 2007 and became a public Scientologist in good standing with the Church.

After she sent out her email, the Miscavige administration lashed out, suing her in a Texas court. In the name of the Flag Service Org (FSO), Miscavige claimed Debbie violated a confidentiality contract she had signed upon her departure and sought $300,000 in damages. He also sought an injunction that she not speak out again. She was forced to take the stand and testify why she felt her email did not violate her contract.

And, boy, did she have something to say.

Debbie’s email had merely cited LRH policy that she felt was being violated by the Miscavige administration and requested Scientologists to Keep Scientology Working by not going along with policy violations; e.g., use of org resources to solicit donations, which LRH forbade.

In court, she testified that she had signed the confidentiality agreement under duress only to escape the cruel and inhumane treatment, including imprisonment, she had been subjected to by Miscavige after promotion to Int Base.

In describing why she signed the confidentiality agreement under duress and would have signed anything just to be permitted to leave in good standing, Debbie testified to the following:

●Two men jumped through her office window while she was on the phone with Miscavige to forcibly carry her to “the Hole,” a double-wide trailer with bars on its windows and guards at the only door, in which she was imprisoned for seven weeks with more than 100 other executives, sleeping on the ant-infested floor in sleeping bags and eating soupy “slop” made of reheated staff leftovers;

●She described a 12-hour ordeal at the California base where she was made to stand in a trash can while fellow executives poured water over her, screamed at her and said she was a lesbian;

Miscavige Appointed Debbie Cook His Executioner

The confidentiality contract being sued on had a provision calling for arbitration before a panel of three Scientologists. The church could have sought $300,000 in damages through arbitration and then turned the award into a court judgment. Arbitration hearings are private. Therefore, Debbie’s testimony would not have been public, and would not have gone viral on the Internet.

So, why did the Church waive its First Amendment privileges (by itself going into court) and force Debbie to take the stand in a public forum and defend herself?

To an experienced lawyer, it makes zero sense.

Obviously, Miscavige wanted an injunction. Injunctions can only be obtained in a court of law, not in an arbitration or small claims proceeding.

Church lawyers obtained a temporary restraining order (“TRO”) and filed a motion for a preliminary injunction upon filing the lawsuit against Debbie. The lawsuit seeks damages plus a permanent injunction.

For information on what an injunction is and its three stages, TRO, preliminary and permanent, see Click Here.

Given Debbie’s allegations, however, it was impossible to obtain any injunction beyond a TRO. All she had to do to defeat the motion was testify that she signed it under duress.

The Church has plenty of experienced lawyers on its payroll and found an established law firm in Texas to represent its interests.

Apparently, the Miscavige administration did not fully brief the lawyers; they rushed them into action with orders to obtain a TRO and preliminary injunction and did not warn them what Debbie could say when called to the witness stand. Apparently an order came down, “Just shut her up. Now!”

FSO lawyers pulled the plug to further damaging testimony by Debbie and other former high-ranking Sea Org members by dismissing the motion for preliminary injunction.

Skilled, fully briefed lawyers would have advised Miscavige to dismiss the entire lawsuit.

Miscavige Demands To Be Comm Ev’ed In A Public Forum

Instead, FSO filed a motion for summary judgment, i.e., a request that the court enter judgment without a trial.

A summary judgment can only be granted when it is proven that no material issue of fact exists in the case. For more information, Click Here.

This motion for summary judgment is dead on arrival.

Debbie has already presented sufficient evidence to create a material issue of fact. To get around her testimony that she signed the confidentiality agreement under duress, Church lawyers offer a clever argument. Clever if one isn’t fully informed, that is.

FSO presents evidence and argues that Debbie may have been under duress when she signed the contract, but that was in 2007. The duress supposedly ended some time after she walked away and she failed to take steps to indicate she was not in agreement with the terms of the contract she had signed.

Church lawyers then invoked a principle in contract law called “ratification,” claiming she ratified the terms of the agreement by her silence.

This argument is easily overcome by evidence that Debbie did not gain perspective on her ordeal and the duress she was under until recently. Besides, she can reasonably interpret the agreement not to have been a waiver of her ecclesiastical duty to Keep Scientology Working.

Many former Sea Org members are available to testify that they, too, experienced the same abuses and degradation testified about by Debbie and that it took them years to “decompress” and make sense of it all. Why did I put up with the abuses in the first place? What about my eternity if I speak out? What about my connections to family and friends? Am I really screwed up, deserving of such inhumanities?

In both the opposition to the motion for summary judgment and the trial, Scientologists will finally be able to present their cases against Miscavige and his abuses to a trier of fact.

It is sort of a fitting irony, given the fact that Miscavige has allegedly banished Executive Director International to “the hole,” thereby eliminating the convening authority for worldwide Scientology ecclesiastical matters, the person with the authority to convene a Committee of Evidence against Miscavige.

Miscavige’s elimination of internal checks and balances has blocked private, internal reforms and has forced Scientologists who attempt to bypass Miscavige in order to Keep Scientology Working to try him in a public forum instead.

Kudos to Debbie Cook

In Scientology’s crisis, these are indeed the times that try men’s souls. The sunshine Scientologist and status seeker will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of LRH; but he that stands by him now, deserves the love and thanks of all Scientologists.

We at SaveScientology.com thank Debbie for not shrinking from the service of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. For standing by it now, she has our love and thanks and deserves the same from all Scientologists.

“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”— Thomas Paine

A Constructive Solution To End The Madness

There is a simple solution to the overall situation: Miscavige should step aside and allow independent, internal investigations of the kind we have detailed in our Action Series. CST special directors should encourage him to do so and begin to absolve themselves of liability.

LRH Intent to end one-man rule upon his death with multiple checks and balances among the seven boards of directors and trustees in three separate religious corporations should be implemented immediately.

Administrative checks and balances should also be fully restored, which include the international executive strata, an independent Church of Scientology International, an effective Executive Director International, and the Watchdog Committee.

Each of us can follow’s Debbie’s courageous example and do something to bring this about. Dare to confront and investigate the situation in Scientology. Dare to communicate to your fellow Scientologists. Dare to stand up to policy violations. Dare to spread the word.

Naturally , we risk being falsely declared by standing up. “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell.

The word “Camelot” is sometimes used to refer admiringly to a bygone era of potential and promise for the future.

Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Although the subject of many tales for hundreds of years, including blockbuster plays and a film in modern times, its location and authenticity have never been established.

In the stage and film versions, the reign of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table were brought down by Mordred who sought the throne for himself. Unaware of Mordred’s intentions, King Arthur put Mordred in charge of the knights’ training program.

Has a similar fate befallen Scientology?

Many Scientologists remember their orgs or mission course rooms and auditing centers filled with students and preclears in the 1970s and 1980s. Now, most of them are empty. To the extent there are students, they are mainly studying “Basics” books and lectures, not training to be auditors.

To borrow lines from Camelot the musical’s theme song, as sung in the final scene, was the period prior to LRH’s death Scientology’s “fleeting wisp of glory?” Our “one brief shining moment?”

The answer is, yes. Unless we demand of our leaders management based on statistics as given by LRH, and judge them, and the expansion/decline of Scientology, based solely on those statistics, brushing aside all PR, opinion and explanations.

LRH Statistics

LRH stressed two major products:

“Orgs have only 2 major final valuable products. One is well-trained auditors. The other is satisfied pcs.”

“Tech and Admin policy exist only to assist making these two products IN VOLUME.”

“The product of an org is well-taught students and thoroughly audited pcs. When the product vanishes, so does the org.”

TECHNICAL DEGRADES, HCO PL 17 Jun 1970RB, Issue I (OEC Vol. 0, p. 14)

* * *

“So the basic gross outness re stats is not to have real stats and not to compute, publish, use and PUSH THEM UP.”

“The only thing that could go wrong [in expanding Scientology] is not establishing, collecting, computing, posting and using the stats to establish a nearer and nearer approach to the ideal scene, not just for us but for the planet.”

STATISTICAL MANAGEMENT, HCO PL 16 Aug 1970 (OEC Vol. 7, p. 518)

For a thorough list of LRH quotations on the subject of statistics and management by statistics, along with editor’s notes (in red), click the button below:

Miscavige Administration Statistics

The current administration no longer stresses or even publishes these statistics, so the actual progress or decline of Scientology, as defined by LRH, is being hidden.

Moreover, it is clear that David Miscavige has altered the statistics used to measure Scientology’s expansion.

“Even the manner in which we gauge our expansion has utterly changed. In previous years it focused on our internal statistics. Today our expansion is measured by broad-scale impact out there, helping cities, states, and entire nations.”

This has led to such statistics as: (1) # of citizens aware of Human Rights; (2) # of shopping malls playing our Human Rights PSAs (Public Service Announcements); (3) # of people helped.

The emphasis of the Miscavige Administration has shifted from LRH’s emphasis on making auditors and the delivery of Scientolgy services to purchasing grand buildings and accumulating wealth, both of which are the result of independent donations, not the income from the delivery of Scientology’s services.

LRH Re: Miscavige Administration Actions

“The only reason orgs exist is TO SELL AND DELIVER MATERIALS AND SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC AND GET IN PUBLIC TO SELL AND DELIVER TO. THE OBJECT IS TOTALLY FREED BEINGS!

“The first and all subsequent organizations of the Church were founded to this purpose only.”

THE REASON FOR ORGS, HCO PL 31 Jan 1983 (OEC Vol. 0, p. 91)

Miscavige Administration’s Drive For Donations

The greatest difference in Scientology when LRH was actively on the lines and during the Miscavige Administration is the current drive for material wealth through the constant hammering of Scientologists for donations at every turn. Buildings, IAS, books for libraries, you name it.

Even auditors and staff devote time to “regging” donations!

No one can deny the results: a great number of grand buildings, a $1.5 billion (with a “B”) IAS fund and phenomenal book sales. But the orgs are empty (mostly), the books go to libraries that mainly sell them to recyclers for pennies on the dollar, and IAS donations accumulate and are not spent to achieve our main products: trained auditors and well audited preclears.

(Imagine what a half billion dollars could do spent on, say, a scholarship program for training auditors.)

“It’s a sign of very poor management to seek extraordinary solutions for finance outside Scientology. It has always failed.

“For Orgs as for pcs ‘Solve it With Scientology.’

“Every time I myself have sought to solve finance or personnel in other ways than Scientology I have lost out. So I can tell you from experience that Org solvency lies in more Scientology, not patented combs or fund raising Barbecues.”

“There can be a tendency for management and staffs to believe an org is all right because it has a rising gross income graph. This is not true. The gross divisional statistics must be observed before the gross income can mean very much.”

To partly answer the question, just LOOK. Go into your local org and mission. How many people are on course training to be an auditor? How many people are receiving auditing, and advancing happily up the grade chart?

You can also listen to what some former high-ranking executives, people who saw the stats, have said. We have compiled a list of their relevant comments and statements. Click the button to view them.

We offer the statements for what they are, not as the actual statistics. The point is that multiple people who spent many years as trusted executives state that the stats of Scientology: trained auditors, well done auditing hours, active and new members, have been in a continual decline over a 20+ year period. That is reason enough to INVESTIGATE. Compare the evidence with your own, personal observations and you should notice that the two are are consistent.

What Would LRH Do?

What would LRH do, or expect us to do?

Do Nothing? No way!

“Nothing is the greatest overt act you can commit. If you don’t believe it, run into it sometime on your case. The times you did nothing: those were the overt acts. Well we needn’t be guilty of it in this particular lifetime, because you’ve got just as big a share in this as I have, as anybody has. And with your knowingness goes a certain increased responsibility. That’s a terrible thing, isn’t it? You say, ‘Well, I want to know more about this.’ The second you know more about it, you’re more responsible for it. Do you realize that?”

Zones of Control and Responsibility of Governments, 3 Jan 1960 (State of Man Congress)

Would LRH revolt against the current administration?

You bet he would.

“So don’t even consider someone with a steadily down statistic as part of the team. Investigate, yes. Try, yes. But if it stays down, don’t fool about. The person is drawing pay and position and privilege for not doing his job and that’s too much reward even there.

“Don’t get reasonable about down statistics. They are down because they are down. If someone were on the post, they would be up. Act on that basis.”

“A group has the right to exile anyone it discovers to be guilty of tampering with any communication line.”

“A management which will pervert or suppress a reality, no matter how ‘reasonable’ the act seems, is acting in the direction of the destruction of a group. It is not what management thinks the group or the goal maker should know, it is what is true.A primary function of management is the discovery and publication, in the briefest form which will admit the whole force of this data, the reality of all existing circumstances, situations and personnel.A management which will hide data, even in the hope of sparing someone’s feelings, is operating toward a decline of the group.”

“A true group must have a management which deals in affinity, reality and communication, and any group is totally within its rights, when a full and reasonable examination discloses management in fault of perverting or cutting ARC, of slaughtering, exiling or suspending that management.”

We don’t propose to slaughter anyone, but we do seek to have the CST Special Directors retain an outside accounting firm to conduct a “performance audit” wholly independent of David Miscavige to determine the LRH statistics of Scientology over the past 25 years and publish them.

For those interested in the legal basis for this request, see Legal Stuff.

By LRH statistics, we mean the Gross Divisional Statistics (GDS) identified above with an emphasis on the delivery stats of well done auditing hours and trained auditors.

We urge Scientologists to help by doing three things:

1) Read the Demand for Performance Audit letter to CST Special Directors.

2) Send a letter of support to a law firm retained by us, stating your support for the Performance Audit.

IF YOU HAVE NOT SENT LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOREARLIER ACTION STEPS, PLEASE SEND THEM ALSO.

3) Spread the word. Inform other Scientologists you know of the situation by disseminating one-page flyers to them by: A) email, B) regular mail, or by C) simply stuffing the flyers on their windshields or in their mail boxes. The flyers are intended to alert other Scientologists to the situation we are addressing. See “Instructions” below to download the flyer.

Instructions

1. Download Letter of Support. Add your name or a code name (i.e., an alias or user name) and date it, then mail it to the law firm on the letter. You do not have to provide an address on the envelope if you use a code name.

If you use a code name use something unique made up of letters and numbers, e.g. Jdoe12RC, and make a unique mark in the signature line. The code name and signature mark you use should be consistent in each letter you send. (There are more action steps to come.)

2. Create evidence. Make a copy of the letter after you fill it out, and keep it on file. This step is especially important for those using a code name. We might need to match the letters to an identity at a later date if and when we need evidence of the amount of support we have – and when people feel more comfortable doing so.

3. Download the Flyer, which is a two-page, color PDF document. This is the same flyer that was linked in Action Series 1. Email it to your Scientology friends, using an alias email account if you prefer anonymity. You can also mail it to them, or simply stuff it in their residential mail boxes or place it on the windshields of their cars. (Don’t trespass or break any laws in doing this.)

The flyer looks best in color and printed as a two-sided, one-page document. If you don’t have the capability to easily do this, we recommend you download the flyer to a flash drive and take it to a nearby Kinkos-type shop. Print it as a black & white, two-page flyer, if you must. Or print this article and distribute it. The idea is to spread the word and involve others.

4. Keep stats:# of support letters out# of flyers to Scientologists

5. Stay tuned for Action Series 6.

A Final Thought

The theme of this article is Camelot, and we made a reference to the final scene of the musical, Camelot.

Below is a video of that scene.

While you enjoy it, please consider the analogy we have drawn:

●King Arthur and his vision for a new world to LRH and his vision for a new world;

●King Arthur outside his castle, preparing to re-take it, to LRH outside his Church, his intent for the governance of Scientology abandoned, his statistics and Admin Scale altered; and

●Tom of Warwick to those Scientologists courageous and responsible enough to forsake status and fear of consequences and insist that LRH’s command intention be forwarded.

Let us be some of the “drops in the great blue motion of the sunlit sea” that sparkle!

As children, most of us remember seeing and having the bejesus scared out of us by the movie, The Wizard of Oz. Poor cute little ole Dorothy, lost in a strange world of good and evil, who accidentally became the target of the purely evil, wicked Witch of the West.

Only one person could save her: the all-powerful Wizard of Oz.

It must be true – and worth the dangerous trek to see him. Everyone in the fantasy land of Oz agreed. The Wizard could – and would – save her!

Except, as it turned out…

The Wizard’s power was all an illusion.

Behind the curtain was a little man, caught red-handed manipulating the mirage.

Alone and exposed, he was meek and quivering, a mere shell of the powerful persona he had created and sold to the entire populace.

As Scientologists let’s not disappoint LRH and make the same mistake made by the residents of Oz and fall for PR and propaganda, or accept “the way things are.”

“Organizations do not bleed, they do not breathe; they do behave oddly enough like a single organism… But when the individuals in it cease to behave as individuals, cease to have their own thoughts, cease to be capable of their own initiative, cease to be able to take their own action, then the whole organization boils down to just one man, and he’s the only one who could make a decision … the only one who could act… [but an organization] is composed of individuals who observe and who look … The only thing I am trying to teach you is to look.”[1]

RTC was not intended to be the all-powerful entity it has evolved into, with a singular, “Chairman of the Board,” pope-like ruler over the entirety of Scientology.

The authority of David Miscavige is all an illusion. LRH intended one-man rule to end upon his death, to be replaced by multiple cross checks and balances in three separate corporations ruled by seven boards of trustees and directors.

Corporate Law Basics

RTC is organized pursuant to California Nonprofit Religious Corporation Law, and thereby is subject to that law, which is set forth California Corporation Code, beginning at section 9110.

The law mandates:

1.The filing of Articles of Incorporation setting forth the name and general purpose of the corporation. Section 9120. To view RTC’s articles, click here.

2.Bylaws must be adopted to regulate and manage the affairs of the corporation. Section 9140. To view RTC bylaws, click here.

4.Each corporation must have and be managed by a board of directors. Section 9150.

5.The board of directors may delegate but is ultimately responsible for all affairs and activities of the corporation. Section 9150.

6.A board of directors shall have a chair (head of the board). Section 9123.

7.Each director shall have one vote and a majority vote is required on each act of the board. Directors may not vote by proxy (i.e., give up their vote to another). Section 9211.

LRH Approved Bylaws of RTC

The RTC bylaws created and approved by LRH call for two boards: (1) a board of trustees and (2) a board of directors.

(As you will see below, the trustees hold power over the directors, including power over the chairman of the board.)

1. Board of Trustees of RTC

The initial trustees, who were selected or approved by LRH, were appointed for life.

Section 1. Purpose. The sole purpose of the Board of Trustees shall be to elect Directors of the corporation. In furtherance of this purpose the Trustees may remove a Director who fails to meet the qualification of a Director or who conducts himself in a manner which is contrary to the provisions of Articles I through IV of these Bylaws and the survival of Scientology.[2]

The trustees are supposed to meet annually.

b. Agenda at Annual Meeting. At the annual meeting of Trustees, consideration shall be given only to the following matters:i. Election or removal of Directors.[3]

2. General Directors of RTC

The RTC board of general directors is charged with overseeing the activities and affairs of RTC. There are 3 general directors, one of which is the chairman of the board.[4]

General directors:

●Serve for one-year terms;

●Are elected by majority vote of the trustees;

●May not be elected from among the trustees.

And note well:

“The Trustees shall elect one of thedirectors as chairman of the board.”[4]

This means that the RTC trustees, who were approved by LRH and appointed for life, are senior to the chairman of the board of RTC (COB RTC).

Obviously, the RTC Trustees can only exercise this LRH-given power if they are truly independent of, and not subject to removal or dominance by, the chairman of the board.

LRH Intent: Independence of RTC Trustees

Based on the foregoing, it is clear that LRH’s vision for the governance of RTC depends completely upon the independence of its boards, particularly its board of trustees.

As we set forth on this website, our investigation found substantial evidence that the boards of trustees and general directors of CST, as well as the boards of trustees of CSI and RTC, are “sham boards,” completely dominated by David Miscavige. See, Existing Scene.

Here is a brief review of that page:

●There are no board meetings, someone from the legal department of Office of Special Affairs International (OSA Int) from time-to-time presents documents for directors and trustees to sign;

●Miscavige holds signed, undated resignations from each board member;

●Miscavige appoints and removes members at his will; (A board member only knows if he/she had been removed when OSA Int no longer brings them documents to sign); and

None of the members we interviewed had even read the corporate bylaws or state law and IRS requirements for tax-exempt status, let alone understood them. They had never been trained for their positions.

Trustees, who were selected by LRH, did not even know their positions were for life.

OSA Int, by the way, is in Department 20, Division 7, of CSI. According to the claims of former high-ranking RTC and OSA executives, Miscavige micro-manages OSA Int. So, we have in effect, if true, Miscavige controlling the RTC boards of trustees. In other words, the boards are “sham” boards, mere “rubber stamps” of David Miscavige.

And thus, if true, the safeguard established in RTC trustees by LRH has been nullified.

The power to remove and elect general directors – including the chairman of the board – has been usurped by Miscavige in betrayal of LRH’s last wishes for the governance of Scientology.

The CST special directors – and other lawyers who owe fiduciary duties to Scientology corporations – facilitated this massive betrayal of LRH. They can help to restore LRH Intent or be held accountable.

Please help to remind them of their legal duties. Let them know that you know. Let them know that you care and intend to backup LRH.

Action Step 4

We urge Scientologists to help by doing three things:

1)Read the Demand for Compliance Audit letter to CST Special Directors.

3)Spread the word. Inform other Scientologists you know of the situation by disseminating one-page flyers to them by: A) email, B) regular mail, or by C) simply stuffing the flyers on their windshields or in their mail boxes. The flyers are intended to alert other Scientologists to the situation we are addressing. See “Instructions” below to download the flyer.

1. Download Letter of Support. Add your name or a code name (i.e., an alias or user name) and date it, then mail it to the law firm on the letter. You do not have to provide an address on the envelope if you use a code name.

If you use a code name use something unique made up of letters and numbers, e.g. Jdoe12RC, and make a unique mark in the signature line. The code name and signature mark you use should be consistent in each letter you send. (There are more action steps to come.)

2. Create evidence. Make a copy of the letter after you fill it out, and keep it on file. This step is especially important for those using a code name. We might need to match the letters to an identity at a later date if and when we need evidence of the amount of support we have – and when people feel more comfortable doing so.

3. Download the Flyer, which is a two-page, color PDF document. This is the same flyer that was linked in Action Series 1. Email it to your Scientology friends, using an alias email account if you prefer anonymity. You can also mail it to them, or simply stuff it in their residential mail boxes or place it on the windshields of their cars. (Don’t trespass or break any laws in doing this.)

The flyer looks best in color and printed as a two-sided, one-page document. If you don’t have the capability to easily do this, we recommend you download the flyer to a flash drive and take it to a nearby Kinkos-type shop. Print it as a black & white, two-page flyer, if you must. Or print this article and distribute it. The idea is to spread the word and involve others.